Hugos reading!
It's funny, I'm really enjoying Bujold's turn from fast-paced plot to slower, character driven narrative in the Vorkosigan Saga and I loved the first two Chalion novels, but the third one and, to a degree, this story didn't grab me to the same degree.
Probably because of my investment in her characters, actually. I really do just want to hang out with them and it's frustrating to get to a new book in the universe without old friends.
Huh. Usually I have better objections to the stories (that don't make me sound exactly like my spouse).
Anyway, there it is. A good story, but not quite the story I wanted.